PlanetSide 2 LU02 preliminary patch notes detailed

2012 saw the eargerly awaited launch of PlanetSide 2, but 2013 is considered the year Sony Online Entertainment really turns on the "afterburners and aims for the stars." However, before new features are implemented, they must first fix many of the bugs that exist in the current form.

In a post on the game's forums, SOE highlighted the details of the upcoming LU02 update for PlanetSide 2 — due out on January 30, 2013. Here are the preliminary fixes, but keep in mind that there is always the possibility things will be changed prior to the patch's release.

• General performance increases, particularly for lower end GPUs
• Experience (XP) system enhancements:
  • Dynamic XP system for player kills, players who have more kills on their current life are worth more XP. Freshly spawned players will be worth a fraction of the current kill reward.
  • Partial damage XP for dealing damage to vehicles that you don't end up killing
  • Population XP / Resource bonus moved over to continent population instead of global
  • Better display of XP sources for things like defensive bonuses & population bonuses
  • Rebalancing of XP rewards to help support tasks
• Server transfer token available in Depot
• UI changes to emphasize score per minute as a primary metric of player comparison
• Sortable columns on outfit management & addition of "last online" column
• New weapon type for all empires: SMG
• Short period of invulnerability will be added to freshly spawned / revived players – breaks upon game actions such as entering a vehicle or using a weapon.
• Dynamic / player configurable colors for minimap & overhead indicators for enemies, friendlies, and squads within a platoon
• New Hot Spot system that displays where active fights are occurring on the map
• New spawn buildings with more exits, protected balconies and easy roof access to make them less campable.
• Tunnel systems for amp and tech facilities to give access from spawn rooms to interior of bases and base walls without having to go above ground.
• Making MAXes render more reliably at long distances for players in vehicles
• AA improvements, notably flak changes for turrets and skyguards, giving them some better ability to aim, although not drastically impacting their DPS.
• Fixes to missiles so that they more reliably detonate and actually blow stuff up
• Air vehicle weapon tweaks
• Increases to reload speed for certain HE ground vehicle weapons
• And of course… lots of bug fixes

One of the big issues missing from the list, as SOE pointed out, are things like "metagame fixes" and "render distance". They assured fans that this doesn't mean they aren't high priority changes or that they are ignoring them; rather, they are just "larger problems" that take long to solve.

"When planning an update we have to balance what we need to do with what we can fit. Those type of large scale adjustments are built from a variety of changes over a long period of time, not just one bullet point in one update note. Once we have the longer term plan out there for you guys to look at you'll see how some of these more meaty changes slot into the schedule."